Sponsored by PAC @TheTable.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW YORK: Congressional Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) hosted a meet-and-greet with four prominent Asian American Congressional hopefuls on Sunday, two of whom are of Indian origin: Upendra Chivukula and Manan Trivedi.
The meet-and-greet was held at the Queens Crossing building in Flushing, Queens, and was sponsored by a PAC called @TheTable.
Present alongside Chivukula and Trivedi were Korean-origin Roy Cho, who is running for New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, and Taiwanese American Ted Lieu, who is vying for the 33rd Congressional District in California; both men are Democrats.
A longtime politician within the state of New Jersey, Chivukula is now running to represent the state’s 12th Congressional District. A Democrat, he currently represents the state’s 17th District in the State Assembly, and will be looking to succeed Rep. Rush Holt, who is leaving Congress.
Chivukula is originally from Nellore, India. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Guindy Engineering College in Chennai, and his master’s degree in the same field from the City College of New York. He is also a graduate of the Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia.
Chivukula comfortably won re-election to his current seat during last year’s elections. He was Deputy Mayor of the Franklin Township in 1998 and Mayor in 2000, and was first elected to the State Assembly in 2002. He previously ran for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District seat in 2012, but lost to incumbent Republican Rep. Leonard Lance.
Trivedi is running to represent Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District. A former Navy doctor, Trivedi has mounted two previous campaigns for Congress, but both were unsuccessful. The third time may be the charm for him, as Trivedi has racked up an impressive slate of endorsements and could be headed for victory.
Currently, Trivedi is up against Republican Ryan Costello, in a District that has leaned red in the past several elections. Trivedi has the support of Democracy for America, and on Tuesday, released a statement lauding the Pennsylvania state government for ruling that a ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional.
“I am proud that Pennsylvania is moving in the direction in which all our citizens are equal. Ruling that the former ban on same-sex marriage is now unconstitutional advances a culture of diversity and demonstrates progress is being made that we truly are a Commonwealth both in name as well as in purpose,” said Trivedi.
“Today’s ruling is a major victory in the ongoing fight for equality in Pennsylvania and I look forward to continuing to fight in Congress for equality for every American,” he added.